Einherjar
by Harley Walter
Summary: Einherjar are the Immortal Warriors, the "Heroic Undead", that serve Odin and the Valkyries. Walter Spes has joined the powerful army of Asgard. Set in Modern Day. Inspired by Skarita's Artwork in Deviantart. Check it out: /art/Einherjar-Lineup-260062916?q favby%3Awulfsbane420%2F43696348&qo 27 Please Read and Review.
1. Chapter 1

Walter sat there, staring into the campfire, the darkness wrapped around him like a comfortable blanket. He closed his eyes as the darkness encircled him with the dying embers. The memories of his death were more vivid than any other. There was mostly pain, emotional from watching the slaughter of his entire family and physical from the bullets that had pierced his chest. The scene played out in his dreams, it was 1950 he had just turned twenty and his entire family had gathered at the mansion he had lived in in celebration of the milestone. Everyone, including himself, had dipped into the liquor, since back then the legal drinking age in Kansas was eighteen. He had gone off to answer Nature's Call and as he stood there whistling as he drunkenly stood there missing the seat when he heard the first gunshots echo through the house.

Walter's eyes snapped open at how the shots seemed to continue to echo throughout the forest around him, and then he realized they did when he heard the sound of drunken males laughing and assumed it to be local hunters. Until he heard the shrill cry of a woman, screaming for help and the men would laugh harder and fire off more shots. His sense of justice carried him into the forest after the sounds. After sprinting for several minutes he was still amazed after close to sixty years at how much his senses have improved with his rebirth. He emerged into the clearing and his brain quickly processed the near half naked woman, somewhere around his age, physical, not actual, the stale beer smell that infected the normally fresh forest air and the drunken men with hunting rifles staggering towards her that were the obvious sources of the stench.

With a yell that echoed louder than any gunshot he ran at the hunters. They slowly turned but he was still too far away to get to them before they shot him. He flinched slightly at the stings as they entered his chest before he reached the men and snatched the rifles from their fumbling hands. They stumbled backwards before screaming as they ran away. His smirk vanished as he remembered the woman and he ran over to her and handed her his leather jacket.

"It isn't much for warmth, but it should help cover the important bits." He looked away as he handed it to her. She put it on and he turned back to her, looking into her eyes, brown as chocolate and big as an owl's with fear. His hearing caught the pounding of her heart pumping wildly and his nose could smell the adrenaline that was being pumped through her veins. "Are you okay? They didn't DO anything, did they?"

She looked at her savior and barely squeaked out. "No, they grabbed me and when I tried to escape my shirt tore open and then you showed up, thanks."

He then breathed out an unfinished "You're welcome." Before collapsing, his last view was the setting sun, golden as his eyes, and the worried young woman, and his last thought was: 'The sun is setting? I must have slept through the day too.' The familiar pain from the bullets lodged in his chest as he blacked out stirred up the dream he was having. The gunshots had gone off and Walter finished going as fast as he could and ran to his parents' room. His father kept a Colt 1903 in the drawer of his bedside table, he wasn't sure of how many gunmen there were but he hoped its seven rounds would be enough.

He crept down the spiral staircase and toward the backyard where everyone had been gathered. What he saw can only be described as 'morbid'. His family was riddled with holes, blood stained their lawn and he was about to collapse and allow sorrow to overtake him when he heard the scream of his eight year old cousin Beth. He ignored the massacre and barreled back inside, remembering she and her mother had come inside to fix her lunch at about the same time he had gone off to use the toilet. He stepped into the kitchen and saw Beth crying over her mother's pale body, the gunman in front of him, unaware of his presence, he shot him in the head and gather Beth in his arms, determined to save his only remaining family member. They were nearly to the front doors when there was another gunshot and hot pain exploded from his leg and he dropped himself and young Beth onto the tiles. He filled with rage as he turned on the three men coming from behind them, his leg forgotten he rose and started shooting, he nailed the man on the left with a couple shots before the remaining two unloaded the rest of the clips in their Tommy guns and filled him so full of bullets that nothing remained of the front of his T-shirt. He crashed onto the floor, dead before he ever hit the floor. The white tiles where now stained a crimson as red as his hair, as the hitmen approached the young girl and pulled pistols from beneath their shirts.

Walter woke up from his healing trance to find the expelled bullets on the ground, the bloody clumps of metal bright against the dark green grass. Then looking around him he saw no sign of the woman. His eyes adjusted to the darkness as he saw flashlights and policemen with dogs combing the area. No doubt the woman went to them for help when she saw him collapse. Walter knew she meant well but this would only raise questions he didn't want to answer. He silently took to the trees and leapt from branch to branch, right over the policemen's heads. The dogs barking wildly as his scent drifted down to them, she must have used his coat to help them track him. He made his way back to where he had his bike parked and walked it until he was far enough away that starting it wouldn't alert the search party. He revved the engine and took off to the only place he wanted to go...the nearest restaurant, he was starving.

It was about midmorning when he arrived at the older style burger joint. It was mid-July and the sun was beating on his neck, the heat slightly uncomfortable. His perfect condition 1954 Harley Davidson with the 50th Anniversary Logo looked odd next to the old beater cars the local kids owned. He walked in and ordered a dozen bacon double cheeseburgers. He got a questioning look from the waitress but when he pulled out his wallet and offered to pay up front so she knew he had the money, she relented and stuck the slip with the rest for the chef to make.

The bell jingled as another customer came in, but this time it was accompanied by a loud gasp. He turned and saw the woman from last night staring at him in horror. She looked better, not as pale, definitely showered, and now wore a plaid button down shirt over light blue jeans, and her worker boots pounded on the linoleum floor as she slowly made her way over to him. He breathed in deeply and prepared to make up some lie about wearing a vest or something, but when she sat down and he looked into those eyes something melted and figured he would tell her the truth, or at least some version of it. Before she could say anything he jumped in.

"Are you okay?" He was hoping to make her forget about him, or atleast stall for a while.

"Yeah I'm fine, but what about _you_?"

Well that didn't work well. "I'm fine. I'm a fast healer." Not a lie.

"The police said they found no clue as to where you were, what happened?"

"I woke up and left, I guess they never saw me." Also not a lie.

"I wanted to thank you again, while I have you here."

"It was no problem, wasn't my first time." Another half-truth.

"I saw the bullets hit you, I watched you bleed all over the ground after you collapsed."

"I've had worse." This one was actually a complete truth, vague, but the truth.

He was saved from her next question when the waitress showed up with his burgers. She eyed all twelve of them in shock as they were set in front of him; he offered her one and then tucked in. She nibbled at hers, her stomach was empty but she had lost her appetite. When she was only half done she set it down and turned back to him. "I never got your name."

"My name is Walter Spes." He set down his seventh burger and looked at her again. "And yours?"

"I'm Katherine Raleigh. Spes? Why does that sound familiar?" Then her eyes widened again, not nearly as wide as when they had first met at least. "Are you related to the Spes family from two cities over? I heard they were all killed in a mob hit almost over fifty years ago though."

"No, no relation, just passing through." He promptly stood up and took off down the road on his bike, wanted to get away from the questions and her unnerving stare.


	2. Chapter 2

Walter's was just lying there on the bed of his cheap motel room, the ancient TV showing static but it was noise to fill the silence, staring at the ceiling, his thoughts on the events after his death. There was nothing but darkness and cold. Then there was a bright light and a beautiful woman descended from the light and stood in front of him, her mere presence warming him to the bone. She looked down upon him, covered from head to toe in armor, wielding a spear and shield with darkly colored wings folded on her back. She then spoke to him and he shivered but no longer from the cold.

"I am the Valkyrie, Sigrun and I am impressed at your attempt to avenge your family."

Sadness pressed upon his mind and he sobbed loudly. "But I failed to kill them and save Beth."

"What if I were to offer you the chance to get vengeance upon those responsible? However, you must do something for me."

Walter looked at her with rapt attention. "What is that? I'll do anything."

"You must pledge an oath to me and the All-Father that you will serve by our side when Ragnarok comes."

"What do I have to do?" He said, bringing a knee up so he was kneeling before her properly.

"Repeat after me: I pledge my body, mind and soul to Lord Odin and the Valkyries. I will fight for Asgard when Loki and his children come to claim the Earth." Walter repeated after Sigrun and she tapped the point of her spear to the center of his bare chest. He felt a nearly unbearable burning sensation when a dark purple rune appeared on his chest. It was an upside down triangle with a large dot in the center, with lines that traveled up and over his shoulders onto his back, three on each side. When it was over she smiled at him and he felt a rushing sensation before waking up in his mansion. He would have thought it was all a dream if it weren't for the large rune showing through his tattered shirt.

Walter was pulled out of the memory by the sound of someone knocking on the door. He silently tiptoed over and looked through the peep hole to see the face of that girl, Katherine, staring back at him. He breathed deeply and opened the door. "What are you doing here?"

"I was walking by and saw your bike, when I went into the office and asked about you, they told me which room you were in. If you didn't want found, I don't recommend using your real name." She pushed right past him and into the room, plopping on the bed as though it were hers.

"It's not that I didn't want found, it's that I didn't expect to see you again, I was surprised."

"Well, you left a little early into our conversation. Sweet tattoo." She said noticing him absentmindedly rubbing the rune on his chest he had been given.

"What? Oh, thanks." He put on his shirt, hoping that she'd stop asking questions, using the 'out of sight, out of mind' line of thinking.

"What does it mean?" Well, that didn't work.

"You're awfully nosy."

"And you didn't answer my question." She didn't let up.

"I got it on my twentieth birthday; it symbolizes an important part of my life."

"What does it _mean_ though?"

"Honestly, I'm not sure, but I can guarantee you'll never see it anywhere else."

"You left rather abruptly earlier today that was rude. What happened? And I want the truth, I did some research after you left and there was a body missing from the attack, a young Walter Spes. Explain that."

"That was my grandfather. I was named after him; they thought it's lucky because he was the one to survive. He left after the attack and went into hiding so they wouldn't find him." More half-truths, he hated this part of the life, having to lie because no one would understand.

"That's funny, because you look just like him too." She pulled out a picture from her purse, printed from a newspaper, the picture from his senior year in high school.

He didn't know what to do, kicking her out would only make things worse, so he starting telling her everything, coming out quicker than he wanted, not giving himself time to stop himself. She just stared at him mouth gaping, and when he finished the story she began laughing so hard her face turned red. Walter's face turned equally red with embarrassment and anger and was about to kick her out when a familiar tingle went down his spine and he quickly grabbed her and threw her over the bed away from the door just as it exploded into splinters, revealing a humanoid creature with deep blue skin standing there smirking.

He didn't give the creature time to attack and wanted to get it away from the Mortal girl, so he ran at it and kicked off its head and went flying over the railing and down to the street below, landing softly. He turned to it and smirked back, silently beckoning it forth. It roared loudly and jumped after him. His rune glowed a bright purple from beneath his shirt and he suddenly held two large energy axes, his face was now concealed beneath a metallic visor, it looked like a knight's visor but the sides curved down and around his cheekbones and the visor was flanked by two horns. His visor was embedded with a small red gem in the middle, with the horns of energy and the sharp points of his visor, it looked the face of a mighty dragon. The horns and axes glowed with the same light and color as his rune. With a battle cry he charged at the creature, he leapt up high and brought an ax down on its head, but it threw an arm up and blocked the blow. But the other ax was swinging up from beneath and was buried in its chest. It grunted in pain and let its guard down, in that moment Walter struck, and chopped off its head in one swing of his ax. There was a bright light and white energy flowed into his glowing rune and the creature had disappeared.

He dispelled the horns and axes and looked back up toward the motel room and saw her staring at him with obvious fear. But when he had reached the top of the stairs she was smiling like the Cheshire Cat.

"That was amazing! You were telling the truth!"

Walter pulled him back into the room. "Yes, and _that_ is what I've been doing all these years."

"What was that thing anyway?" She asked, now sitting on the bed, staring at him without blinking.

"A Jotun, a Frost Giant, we Einherjar go from place to fight fighting, Mortal Heroes, other Einherjar, or Frost Giants. Killing Frost Giants rewards us with pure energy that replenishes us, if we use or power to much without restoring the energy we eventually burn up."

"That is so awesome!"

"It's not awesome, I have to kill for a living. Sure from time to time I get the chance to stop a mugging or save someone from a burning building, but if I do it too often I will burn up. Understand?"

Katherine looked down sheepishly. "Yeah, I understand, sorry."

"It's okay, I'm just a little stressed out. I've never told anyone this before."

"No one?"

"Well, there was one person." His mind was already supplying him with the visuals for his story.


	3. Chapter 3

The door of his hideout had been kicked in, flying right past him and smashing into the wall. Mobster Ray Bacia turned and could not believe his eyes. There standing in his doorway was that one Spes kid who killed two of his boys.

"But...but how?" He asked as the boy stomped toward him. "I killed you."

"Yeah, me and the rest of my family. Do you know how much trouble it was to find you, once I found your partner though, he spilled pretty quickly. I have been granted new life so that I may kill those that have wronged me, and you are the only one left. You may pray to the god of your choice before I kill you."

Ray quickly drew his knife and slashed across Walter's gut, spilling blood everywhere. Walter shrugged it off and picked Ray up by the throat. "That was a mistake." Walter then grabbed and twisted Ray's arm until her heard it snap. Ray's screams were cut short when Walter snapped his neck. Walter then set the place ablaze before leaving, both as a final insult to Ray and to burn up the evidence that he had been there.

"I then spent the next sixty years or so wandering around from state to state, city to city, batting my fair share of Jotun. I haven't run into too many other Einherjar though." Walter was final brought back to the present and looked into Katherine's tear-filled eyes.

"That's terrible, I'm sorry."

"Don't be, it was a long time ago, long before you were even born."

"So, now what are you going to you do?"

"Probably move on to the next city, looking for more monsters and warriors."

"Why are you leaving so soon?"

"Did you completely miss what just happened outside? That will raise too many questions I have nowhere to run to except out of town."

"You can come and stay with me and my friend. She won't ask any questions." Katherine looked hopeful.

Walter, no matter how hardened he had become from his years of fighting, was no match for the well-known 'puppy dog eyes'. "Alright, we should probably get going now."

Katherine unlocked the door quietly. "Bri is usually gone most nights, but with my luck she'll be home tonight and we'd wake her up." She turned on a nearby lamp and closed the door behind them. "I'll grab you some blankets and you can sleep on the couch."

"Thanks." Walter lay there, drifting off to sleep, when in the darkness he heard keys jingle and the door open, must have been Katherine's friend Bri. But as the person got closer he felt the familiar buzzing at the base of his skull and was instantly awake, backflipping from his spot on the couch and facing the also crouching figure. The other one leapt across the room, sending them both rolling across the room until they landed with Walter pinned down, he kicked the other person off, sending them into the ceiling where the other let loose an obviously feminine grunt. Katherine must have heard the commotion and cam sprinting down the hallway, turning lights on as she went.

"What in hell is going on here!?" She screamed, walking into the room with Walter and Bri both lying on the floor, only a few feet away from each other, Bri's back was coated in plaster.

"Walter was the first to stand, offering a hand to Bri. "You should tell her." He then laughed for the first time since she had met him.

"Tell me what?" She asked, eyes shifting between the two.

Bri just stared at her feet but Walter was smiling widely. "Your roommate is also an Einherjar."

Katherine had no idea how to take this so she plopped down on the sofa. "How do you know?"

"Same way I knew about the Frost Giant, I sensed it. And it was confirmed when she attacked me."

Katherine just stared at Bri. "Well? Is it true?"

Bri kept staring at her feet. "Yes, that's why I leave at night; if I seek out monsters they are less likely to attack us here at home. Now it's your turn to talk, when did you meet _him_?"

Walter was a little offended at how she said the word him. Just because Einherjar fight each other to train doesn't mean they have to hate each other, they were all part of the same army. They were all comrades in arms.

Katherine told her the whole story, all the way up to the Frost Giant attack, leaving out the stories Walter told her about himself, those are his secrets to tell, not hers.

Bri sat there thinking to herself, before saying: "Those hunters are probably townies, you should be careful they might come after you here at home."

Walter laughed again. "Even if they do, she shouldn't be afraid, she has us. Besides, just seeing me will scare them off."

"Even so, be careful. You should probably get some sleep too. Don't worry, we won't break anything now."

Katherine yawned, sleep sounded great. "Okay, good night."

Walter and Bri sounded off their good nights and she went off. Halfway down the hall she could hear the two of them talking on the couch and she couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy.

Walter smiled at Bri. "So how did you get roped into this?"

"Ten years ago, I was riding my bike home when I heard screaming, looking over the bridge I was riding over I could see these children caught in the current. I dove over the side and swam after them. I got them to safety but was surprised by a low hanging branch, it knocked me unconscious and the current forced me underwater where I drowned. I awoke in the darkness with one of the Valkyries telling me about a second chance at life for being so brave. So what amazing feat did you accomplish to get the Valkyries attention?"

"Nothing, my family was all murdered by a group of hitmen and I died defending my little cousin Beth, she was only eight, she was eight and I failed her. She died because I couldn't save her. Sigrun then appeared and offered me the chance to take revenge on the men responsible, and I eagerly agreed. Sixty years later and here I am. So you're fairly new to this, huh?"

"Yeah, I seek out and embrace the life at night, to keep it from interfering with my normal life, or as normal as I can make it, during the day."

"What is the highest level you can reach?"

"Level? What levels?" Bri looked completely confused.

"Of your Einherjar Form. What is the highest level you can reach?"

"There are levels?"

Walter shook his head. "I guess you haven't been around long enough then. Yeah, after you defeat enough Jotun and other Einherjar, you'll eventually gain enough power to reach extra levels of your Einherjar From. I'm up to level three, but there aren't many enemies that require anything more than level one."

"Perhaps you can show me tomorrow?" Bri looked excited at the prospect of learning more about being Einherjar.

"Of course, but for now, I need sleep. Good Night."

"Good Night." She then went off into her own room and fell asleep.

It was mid-morning, Walter and Bri stood in an isolated meadow a ways away from town. They had finished their large breakfast and drove out here. Katherine stood a bit off to the side, watching expectantly at what was to unfold.

There were bright flashes of light from the both of them as they assumed their Einherjar forms. Purple from Walter and Teal from Bri. Katherine saw Bri's Einherjar form for the first time, it looked much like Walter's except instead of horns, she had bright teal wings beside her visor. And she held a large teal halberd.

Bri called over to Walter. "Let's see these other levels!"

Walter nodded and there was another bright light. And suddenly there were shoulder pads and wrist guards. As elaborate and silver as his visor. "This is level two. Level one doubles our strength and speed, well this doubles that increase." A second flash of light brightened up the meadow and now he had bright silver armor on his chest and back. "And this, level three, doubles that extra increase, essentially making me eight times stronger than my base form. This is the strongest I've gotten, but I hope to get stronger, in fact I plan on it. Care to test yourself against me?" Walter smirked at his fellow Einherjar.

Bri gave no vocal answer but instead ran at him, swinging her halberd straight down, he blocked it by crossing his axes in front of him and then kicked her away, sending her flying into the trees. She got up and ran at him again, swinging wildly, and he blocked each swing, taking the full force of each attack. This carried on for an hour before the light Walter was emitting flickered a few times and he collapsed nearly unconscious back into human form. "Stop, that's enough."

Bri stopped mid swing, and powered down. "What happened?"

"I may be more powerful at level three but I also use a lot more energy in the process." They both walked over and sat beside Katherine when the entire sky went dark as though night arrived in a matter of moments and a Valkyrie descended from the sky. Walter recognized it to be Sigrun his personal Valkyrie and knew she was here to bring word from the gods or to give him a quest.


	4. Chapter 4

It continued to darken around them until the darkness seemed almost palpable. Walter and Bri found themselves alone with Sigrun. Katherine, the mortal, was left behind in the waking world. This vision was for those blessed by the Gods.

Sigrun stood before them in her deep green armor, looking just as she had that first time. Both Einherjar knelt before the eternal maiden. She bowed slightly to Walter and nodded to Bri. "Walter, we Valkyries have heard some unsettling news from the All-Father. An Oathbreaker has recruited a small army of Jotun."

"What's an Oathbreaker?" Although she had whispered it to Walter, it seemed to echo into the surrounding blackness.

Sigrun looked impatient so Walter explained quickly. "A rogue Einherjar, one who broke his oath to serve Asgard."

"He is not to be underestimated. Approach him with caution. We do not know how powerful he is, or how many make up his army. He wishes to start Ragnarok before its appointed time. Stop him."

The Green One then ascended into the darkness, it appearing to consume her before it faded as quickly as it had come. Katherine stood there yelling in their faces. "Walter! Bri! What's wrong!? Why own't either of you respond!?" She huffed a deep breath into Walter's face just as he returned to his body, her breath smelling of mint with a hint of the peach she had been eating. Katherine made as if to slap him but he caught her wrist before she made contact, she sighed in relief. "What happened to you guys?"

Bri had just come to in time to answer the question for him. "We were called into a meeting." Seeing the confused look on Katherine's face, she elaborated. "Walter's Valkyrie decided to pay us a visit to give us a quest."

"A quest? Does that happen often?"

Bri spoke before Walter could, AGAIN. "Mine hasn't since I became an Einherjar."

Walter finally cut in. "Mine did once before in the past sixty years or so."

"For what?" Bri cut Katherine off this time, but Katherine let it go because she was simply going to ask the same thing.

"Roughly thirty years ago, Sigrun appeared before me and told me there was a powerful monster in my area and that I was to stop it."

Katherine looked at him impatiently. "And?..."

Walter looked at her. "And what?"

"Well, what happened? What monster was it? Did you meet anyone else trying to beat it?" Bri fired off questions like bullets.

Walter chuckled. "Relax, I'll tell the story." They all sat back onto the grass. "As I was saying, about thirty years back, Sigrun paid me a visit. Told me that Fafnir had returned."

"Katherine, with her love of all things mythology, knew who and what Fafnir was. "How? I thought Sigurd had slain that dragon centuries ago.?"

"Monsters don't stay dead. They don't have souls like you or I. And though Fafnir started off Mortal, he forfeited his soul when he took the form of the dragon. Now, may I continue?" Walter acted agitated, but he enjoyed the company, especially company he could be truthful with. Katherine nodded silently. He flashed her a dazzling smile. "Anyhow, she had sent me to slay him again. The dragon had kidnapped two minor goddesses, Hnoss and her twin sister Gersemi. They were to be the source of, and best part of his new hoard. You see, Hnoss is the Goddess of Gems, and Gersemi is the Goddess of Treasure, they are made of and create those things."

"How so?" Katherine sat on the edge of her seat, or as much as one could while curled up on the grass.

"Hnoss' tears form diamonds, her blood garnets, and her eyes are made of sapphires. Gersemi's eyes are disks of gold, her skin of bronze and her hair was platinum." Both women were staring at him wide eyed. "The Gods wanted the back of course, a monster had captured two of their own and they were valuable. You know how much the Gods like their valuables. But anyway, I set out on this quest, and it was difficult. I was only a level two at the time but I was determined to prove myself. Fafnir's flames ate my flesh, charring me black from head to toe, each night healing and starting over, until I finally got a good shot at his underbelly. His scales were too hard even for my magical blade. Sigrun then arrived to congratulate and reward me for saving the Goddesses."

Katherine had a look of wonder on her face. "What was your reward?"

"Have you seen the red gem embedded in my visor?" Both women nearly nodded. "It's supposed to unlock the power hidden within my soul." Walter yawned. "It's time for me to catch up on some sleep, our sparring took a lot out of me." He laid out a large blanket for them all to sleep on and lay on top of it. "Good night ladies."

"Good night." Katherine and Bri spoke in unison.


End file.
